Congressman Sonny Bono dies from head injuries when he crashed into a tree while skiing at a Lake Tahoe resort. Bono veered off a wide-open area and was navigating through a narrow grove of trees when he smashed face-first into pine. He died immediately.

President Clinton says he plans to propose the first balanced budget in 30 years. Any enactment of tax cuts he said would only bring back the deficit.

Slaughter – Attackers swoop-down on four villages in western Algeria on the first day of Ramadan, killing 412 – including babies and children.

The Volkswagen Beetle – a restyled successor to the Bug from two decades ago, is back. Made in Mexico, it has more interior room and has more extras such as air conditioning. It’ll sell for $15,000.

A Chicago medical examiner says comedian Chris Farley died of an accidental overdose of cocaine and morphine. A narrowing of the arteries supplying the heart muscle was a significant contributing factor in his death.

Advertising – Burger King Promotion – January 1, 1998

Burger King announces it is giving away an estimated 9 million small orders of its French fries in a one-day promotion called “Free FryDay.”

Music news – January 1, 1998

Enya is releasing her fifth album. She’s the second most popular pop act from Ireland – only U2 tops her sales, which now stand at some 25 million albums. Not bad for an artist who has never toured – until now. She’s hitting talk shows and such to promote her “Paint the Sky With Stars: The Best of Enya” CD.